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It is commonly used in low-fat produce and staples such as soda, bread and pasta sauces to improve the 'taste and feel'.

Dr Attia continues on his blog The Eating Academy: 'If you see anything that says “fat-free” or “low-fat” on the package, that’s a huge warning sign to avoid it.

'[It] is almost universal code for, "we took out the fat and stuffed in more sugar."'

In a bid to prove his hypothesis he
launched the Nutrition Science Initiative with Mr Taubes, an
award-winning science writer, last September.

'If you see anything that says "fat-free" or "low-fat" on the package, it is almost universal code for, "we took out the fat and stuffed in more sugar"'

The California-based non-profit organization received $40million in funding from the Laura and John Arnold Foundation (LJAF) this spring to fund three experiments investigating the link between diet and obesity.

In a press release they highlight that 'despite following current dietary recommendations- for example, reducing fat intake- Americans are getting more and more obese.'

Independent
investigators will monitor a number of overweight and obese volunteers on various low-fat diets for the
effects on their bodies.

In order to leave as little as
possible to chance, the participants will have to live at the research
facility during the experiment.

Mr Taubes and Dr Attia, who highlight the details of their venture in the September issue of Scientific American, expect that they may have preliminary results sometime within the next year or so.

'We've become so disconnected with our food and it's such a complicated problem,' Mr Taubes concluded.

Despite Mr Taubes and Dr Attia's beliefs Dr Ralph Abraham, consultant in diabetes and endocrinology at London Medical, told MailOnline that people should focus on calorie content instead of fat and sugars.

‘Unless you specifically know how your metabolism works and whether you are indeed susceptible to insulin resistance, then it’s the total number of calories that matters.

'Blanket advice to the general population would therefore be inappropriate and misguided in some cases.'